Yesterday, I filmed another scene as Salvatore "Salvie" Testa for the National Geographic series, History of the Mob.

Salvatore Testa's father was Philip "Philly" Testa, the infamous "Chicken Man" of Philadelphia. Philly Testa briefly lead the Philadelphia mafia, until he was killed in a nail bomb explosion on his front porch.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Today I was on set for The National Geographic Channel's History of the Mob, another reenactment cable television show.

Originally, I submitted for the role of an FBI agent. I was surprised at the audition when I read for the role of a hitman. I was even more surprised when I got the part.

I was cast as Salvatore "Salvie" Testa, a rising star in the Philadelphia underworld during the early 1980s. As a hitman for the Scarfo crime family, Testa was known as the "Crowned Prince of the Philadelphia Mob."

In Pennsylvania, the sport of wrestling is a culture. I come from a wrestling family. My uncles, my cousins, my brother and
my father wrestled. My cousin’s
husband is a high school wrestling coach in a small town in Western
Pennsylvania. My aunts, my grandmothers,
my female cousins all have their own wrestling stories from having attended numerous
matches. I have watched my mother
laughingly ‘arm drag’ my high school coach as well as my six-year-old nephew.

Even though I was one of the smaller kids growing up, there
was never any doubt that I would wrestle.

For the uninitiated, Wrestling is a niche sport, odd,
cultish and difficult to appreciate.
The sport involves quick reflexes, strength, agility, strategy, determination,
endurance, and a monk like approach to training. The athletes push their bodies, run countless miles, weight
train, and obsess over their diet and weight.

Then, when the time to compete arrives, the wrestlers are
completely alone. The pressure of
winning or losing is magnified during the walk out onto the mat, facing down
the opponent. Not only does the
body have to be ready, the will to win has to be as strong. Even then, preparation is no guarantee
of a win.

As is the case that not every High School Quarterback gets
the chance to play at a pro level, very few wrestlers ever get to compete at
the highest levels.

However, for those that have gone through a season, or
several seasons in their youth, the lessons and habits learned through training
and competition are drawn upon daily.